A very late roundup of the last Stratford productions this past season.
Romeo and Juliet
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Sam White
Set and costumes by Sue LePage
Lighting by Louise Guinand
Composer and sound by Debashis Sinha
Choreography by Adrienne Gould
Cast: Graham Abbey
David Collins
Howard Dan
Nick Dolan
Thomas Duplessie
Austin Eckert
Steven Hao
Graham Hargrove
Jessica B. Hill
Jenna-Lee Hyde
Andrew Iles
Jasmine Jones-Ball
John Kirkpatrick
Derek Kwan
Tarique Lewis
Jonathan Mason
Marissa Orjalo
Glynis Ranney
Antoinette Rudder
Vanessa Sears
Michael Spencer-Davis
Emilio Vieira
Scott Wentworth
Rylan Wilkie
Angus Yam
Is it possible to have Romeo and Juliet burnout? Perhaps. If one goes to the theatre a lot and for a long time, those productions of Romeo and Juliet do add up.
Director Sam White’s production started with rhythmic drumming as if to put it in another place and time than in Verona. I loved the pulse of it, but couldn’t figure out the reason. The first scene goes like a bat setting up the intense animosity between the Montague family and the Capulet family. No one can remember the reason for the feud but the animosity still burns bright. The intensity of the anger and instant fighting between Tybalt (a fiery Emilio Vieira) nephew to Lady Capulet, and Mercutio (an athletic Andrew Iles) a friend of Romeo and the Montague family, along with their followers, is so pronounced, it’s a wonder that any member of either household is alive. Truly, how is anyone alive in such fury, which would clear the way for Romeo and Juliet to get on with falling in love and doing what they wanted, without familial interference. But of course, Shakespeare and various inventive directors have other thoughts.
Jonathan Mason was a youthful, boyish Romeo. He was calmed/softened to the feud when he fell in love with Juliet, a sweet and more mature Vanessa Sears. As Paris, Austin Eckert was courtly. Glynis Ranney played the Nurse as dithery and distracted but with a kindness that charmed. Graham Abbey played Capulet and was the angriest reading of that role I’ve ever seen and that was fascinating. One can see how a feud is carried on with that hair-trigger temper. As Lady Capulet, Jessica B. Hill displayed a steeliness that would cope with such a volatile partner.
Yep, it’s possible to have Romeo and Juliet burnout when one searches for words to be positive about a production that was ‘ok’.
Wendy and Peter Pan
Adapted by Ella Hickson
From the book J. M. Barrie
Directed by Thomas Morgan Jones
Set and costumes by Robin Fisher
Lighting by Arun Srinivasan
Composition and sound by Romeo Candido
Choreographer, Jera Wolfe
Cast: Sean Arbuckle
Noah Beemer
Laura Condlln
James Daly
Justin Eddy
Sara-Jeanne Hosie
Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks
Wahsonti:io Kirby
Nestor Lozano Jr.
Marcus Nance
Jake Runeckles
Tara Sky
Agnes Tong
And many others.
Charming, bristling with suppressed angst, and fine performances by Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks as Wendy and Laura Condlln as Hook.
Ella Hicks has put Wendy at the center of her version as is clear from the title. Wendy is first. As played by Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks she is confident, caring, motherly, protective and curious. Her curiosity and sense of adventure grounds her in childhood without her being prissy and over smothering of her brothers, Peter and the lost boys, although there is that sense too.
The revelation is Laura Condlln as Hook. This isn’t a character angry and bitter about the limb lost to the puckish crocodile; this is a woman frustrated at the stupid world she lives in, the disappointments, the decisions that keep her from winning or succeeding. Laura Condlln gives a strong but delicate performance that distinguishes her resentment and disappointments. Every part Condlln plays is full of artistry, subtlety, character and nuance. Riveting. Jake Runeckles as Peter Pan is boyish and easily influenced. This isn’t a character who knows about maturity, which makes sense when he refuses to grow up. This Peter flits from distraction to distraction. That is his charm. Marcus Nance plays several parts, but as the slick crocodile in a stylish contraption that glides across the stage, Nance is dangerous and compelling.
La Cage Aux Folles
Book by Harvey Firestein
Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman
Based on the play by Jean Poiret
Directed by Thom Allison
Choreography by Cameron Carver
Music director, Franiklin Brasz
Set by Brandon Kleiman
Costumes by David Boechler
Lighting by Kimberley Purtell
Sound by Brian Kenny
Cast (selected) Sean Arbuckle
James Daly
Steve Ross
Chris Vergara
And a lot of other talented people.
A campy musical and a production full of heart, compassion and generosity thanks to director Thom Allison and Steve Ross.
This is set in St. Tropez at La Cage aux Folles nightclub. Georges (Sean Arbuckle) is the suave proprietor. There is an in-house chorus of exuberant drag queens in the show, but the star is Zaza, aka Albin (Steve Ross) and life-partner of Georges. Zaza refuses to come out of the dressing room. Feelings have been hurt. Zaza is determined to stay there until Georges convinces Zaza to perform.
Georges’ adult son Jean-Michel announced he is engaged to marry the daughter of the local conservative activist who wants to shut down the drag clubs. Jean-Michel’s future in-laws don’t know about his father and Zaza, who helped raise the young man. The future in-laws want to meet Jean-Michel’s parents. Jean-Michel’s birthmother reneges on showing up, so Albin steps in, to ‘portray’ Jean-Michel’s mother.
There are two scenes in La Cage aux Folles that say everything about the beating heart of director Thom Allison and Steve Ross. The first is of Georges and Albin out for the evening, after Georges calmed down Albin. They sit at a table of a neighbouring bistro, having a drink, talking. Both cross their legs. The pose says everything about how relaxed they are.
Georges is beautifully played by Sean Arbuckle. He is tailored, sophisticated with a dash of panache, a colourful cravat at his throat; a jacket that is attention grabbing, a manner that is subtle.
Albin, played by Steve Ross, with supreme confidence, a sense of being miffed, a touch petulant, is more expansive. His hands flick the air for affect. He wears a light grey suit with a jacket that could be a cape. He wears a wide-brimmed hat, set at an angle, jaunty, haughty. He wears heavy eye-makeup, perhaps because Albin’s alter-ego, Zaza, didn’t take off the makeup after the show. It looks the most natural thing in the world, and it is. I note he does not wear coloured nail polish. I think this is a choice for the actor—perhaps putting it on and taking it off after Zaza’s performance is not feasible for the show. No matter, I thought it was an interesting choice.
What is wonderful about that scene is the naturalness of it; that the denizens of that bit of St. Tropez know this couple and embrace and respect them and Georges and Albin return the love and respect.
The second scene is Albin deciding that he will do his best to help their ungrateful son, Jean-Michel by dressing as a woman to ‘become’ Jean-Michel’s mother. Albin is not dressing in drag for this. He is taking on the persona of a caring, loving, flirty, charming woman who is a mother. Glorious. The difference between the drag and the performance here is the essence of the beating heart of the director, Thom Allison and Steve Ross.
I love this musical that trumpets being who you are no matter what. The message is conveyed with style and wit.
London Assurance
Written by Dion Boucivault
Directed by Antoni Cimolino
Set and lighting by Lorenzo Savoini
Costumes by Francesca Gallow
Composer, Wayne Kelso
Sound by Ranil Sonnadara
Choreographer, Adrienne Gould
Cast: Graham Abbey
Hilary Adams
David Collins
Nick Dolan
Thomas Duplessie
Austin Eckert
Deborah Hay
John Kirkpatrick
Marissa Orjalo
Michael Spencer-Davis
Emilio Viera
Scott Wentworth
Rylan Wilkie
Geraint Wyn Davies
A stylish Restoration Comedy, hilarious, thoughtful, beautifully acted and directed.
A complicated story of an over the hill dandy, Sir Harcourt Courtly, (Geraint Wyn Davies) intends to marry a much younger woman named Grace (Marissa Orjalo), and Sir Harcourt’s playboy son, Charles is wooing Grace as well, unbeknownst to the father. There is also the randy, fun-loving Lady Gay Spanker (an hilarious Deborah Hay) who comes to visit with her doddery but loving husband Adolphus Spanker (Michael Spencer-Davis).
This is a play of comedic style, specific body language and an artificial placement of the voice. The makeup, especially for Sir Harcourt is over the top (I thought Geraint Wyn Davies could do with more rouge and lipstick, but he’s a comedic treat).
As Cool, the stoical servant, Rylan Wilkie is the essence of understatement. He is totally un expressive in keeping a straight face. This guy has seen it all it that household and the secret of being employed is to keep every secret and not let anything slip.
Dandy production.
Salesman in China
Written by Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy
Suggested by the memoirs of Arthur Miller and Ying Ruochen
Chinese translation by Fang Zhang
Presented in English and Mandarin with Surtitles.
Directed by Jovanni Sy
Set by Joanna Yu
Costumes by Ming Wong
Lighting by Sophie Tang
Composer and sound designer, Alessandro Juliani
Co-Projection designers, Caroline MacCaul and Sammy Chien (Chimerik)
Cast: George Chiang
Jo Chim
Harriet Chung
Howard Dai
Justin Eddy
Tai Wei Foo
Steven Hao
Phoebe Hu
Ziye Hu
Derek Kwan
Nestor Lozano Jr.
Tom McCamus
Gordon S. Miller
Sarah Orenstein
Adrian Pan
Agnes Tong
Matthew Wang
Asher Albert Waxman
Angus Yam
Harmony Yen
A play about two cultures that couldn’t be more different, that bridges the differences and joins the similarities in humanity, compassion, memories and the love of theatre.
Playwrights Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy have written a beautifully moving play about an almost improbable situation: a production of Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman to be played in Beijing in Mandarin, directed by Arthur Miller. I say “almost improbable” because it actually happened in 1983. It starred the celebrated Chinese actor Ying Ruocheng as Willie Lowman.
We find out from Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy’s play that in China there was no such thing as insurance or something called a ‘travelling salesman’, two of the key aspects of Arthur Miller’s play. What we find out from Salesman in China is that the play is less about Miller’s play and more about the backstories of the participants; it’s about the haunted memories of a son for his disappointed father; it’s about wives who gave up careers; it’s about the effects of the Cultural Revolution in China; it’s about theatre, art, the importance of wigs and makeup in China and the less importance in America. And it’s about cultural differences and how they sometimes get in the way. This production is a towering achievement almost in every way.
Ying Ruocheng (Adrian Pang) had been ‘rehabilitated’ during the Cultural Revolution in China and was unable to act. After his ‘rehabilitation’ he was anxious to play Willie Loman. Adrian Pang played Ying Ruocheng with grace, reverence and respect. Ying Ruocheng revered Arthur Miller (Tom McCamus) and was accommodating and even obsequious around him. Ying Ruocheng was haunted by the specter of his disapproving father. As Ying Ruocheng prepared for the part of Willie, who blindly encouraged of his sons without seeing their limitations, Ying Ruocheng was visited by the memory of his father, berating him for not being better, for being deluded about his abilities. Ying Ruocheng was also urged by his strong-willed wife Wu Shiliang, a forceful, commanding Jo Chim, to stand up to Miller and not be such a pushover. Through all of this Adrian Pang as Ying Ruocheng was so moving, conflicted and eager to do right by the play and the part. He knew how important this event was to his country, his career and his self-esteem.
Arthur Miller, as played by Tom McCamus, was irritable, stubborn and perhaps the essence of a stereotypical rude American who was imperious to his Chinese hosts. Miller knew how his play should be played in America, but clueless about how the Chinese might approach it and didn’t care. He refused to learn Mandarin, or even approach some of the words and didn’t make an effort to really learn the names of the cast or the stage manager. Miller was adamant there be no wigs or garish makeup, and had to be told that that was how theatre was in China—they used wigs they thought were appropriate and they used makeup.
In one small, exquisite scene Derek Kwan played a wigmaker who arrived carrying the wig for a character. He was emotional, passionate and articulate about how seriously he took his job and how important that wig was for the character. You didn’t move while Derek Kwan pleaded his case. Stunning scene and playing of it.
Arthur Miller also had a strong-willed but diplomatic wife in photographer, Inge Morath, played with control and watchfulness by Sarah Orenstein. It was interesting seeing the strong women behind both Ying Ruocheng and Arthur Miller.
The production was beautifully directed by Jovanni Sy. As I said this production was almost perfect in every way. The problem was the subtitles. For some reason they were projected at the bottom of the stage, sort of on the lip, where, depending where you sat, you could not read the subtitles should the cast be speaking in Mandarin. I had a great seat to see the stage, but with heads in front of me, I could not properly read the subtitles. That was definitely a lapse in an otherwise terrific production.
Happy New Year,
Lynn